


A Spirit's Blessing

by FIREL0RDAZULA



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25099234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FIREL0RDAZULA/pseuds/FIREL0RDAZULA
Summary: After Azula goes missing during The Search, Zuko tasks Ty Lee with tracking her down. The only problem: Ty Lee isn’t sure if she’ll be able to overcome her fear of Azula before it’s too late. (Smoke and Shadow does not happen in this universe.)
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 108





	1. The Spirit

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real fic so constructive criticism is appreciated. I'm really excited to share this, I had such a good time writing it!

Azula ran through the forest, tears flowing endlessly down her cheeks, desperately fleeing reality. Her legs were burning as hot and fiery as her own flame from running into oblivion, but it felt good. It felt real. Perhaps the only thing that felt real to her right now.

The disgraced princess eventually ran into a thick of trees. Usually, she would try to bend the pesky forest out of her way. But not right now. The raw emotions she felt gnawed at her soul, desperately trying to destroy her, just as her mother had. Or had she? The reality of her situation was not one she was willing to accept. What had seemed like lifetimes of her mother constantly sabotaging her every move, her every ambition, might have been nothing but a lie her wretched mind used to torment her.

As sick as it was, her mother was the only constant in the last year Azula had. Ty Lee and Mai left, her father was stripped of both his power and bending. But her mother never left, not even when she was locked up in that miserable institution. Now, she didn’t even have her. Her mother was never even there the whole time. Azula was truly alone.

As she reached the thick of the forest, she curled up in a tight ball and sobbed, just as she had as a child. She screamed out into the uncaring and emotionless forest, a large plume of blue flames forcing its way through her body and out her mouth. In the past, she might have seen this as weak or something Zu-Zu might do. But she didn’t care anymore. All she had known had crumbled.

\------

Azula laid at the mouth of the forest for what felt like days, shifting in and out of sleep. She had run out of tears to cry and was starting to feel the effects of dehydration set in.

For all she cared, she could lay here forever until dehydration, the elements, or maybe even a spirit took her. She deserved to die. No, that wasn’t enough. She wanted to die. She had failed at everything she had ever sought to achieve. Her father’s approval. The throne. A world ruled by the Fire Nation. Her mother’s love.

Just as she was about to delve deeper into the deepest trenches of her mind, a voice echoed through the forest and a shadow loomed over her. Her face distorted into an ugly glare. A deep, ocean blue wolf with deep eyes as orange as a Fire Nation sunset loomed over her. His expression matched the angry expression displayed on his chest. She knew who the spirit was, but struggled to remember as the events of the last few days became nothing but a grey blur.

“You! Human! How dare you attempt to destroy the home of noble spirits such as me. You will pay for your actions,” the wolf said in a deep, booming voice.

Azula looked apathetically towards the spirit, refusing to move from her spot until he slammed his massive paw down, threatening to crush her. She didn’t move voluntarily, more so out of instinct. She wanted to lay down and let the spirit rip her to shreds, but something inside her forced her to run as fast as her legs could carry her. She ran towards Hira’a, the only familiar place she could think of.

Though she was a fast runner, her days spent laying at the forest’s entrance had left her slow and unable to bend. She was helpless. And no matter how fast she ran, the spirit always seemed to be right at her heels, clawing and biting at her in an attempt to achieve some sick vengeance.

Her legs desperately pounded the grass in an attempt to escape. She heard the blood roaring in her ears and felt the pain in her lungs deepen as she ran. Just as she felt her legs start to turn to mush, the village appeared over the horizon. Almost there, Azula. _You’re not weak like Zuko or a coward like Mai and Ty Lee._

Azula felt her legs finally starting to give as she grew slower and slower as the village grew closer and closer, with the wolf gaining on her. She just was about to give in to the spirit’s hatred of her when she already felt its claw graze her side. She turned to see the Spirit with her crimson blood dripping from its claws, its eyes glowing with contempt. The princess fell to her knees in the shadow of the village, gripping her fresh wound, letting the pain consume her.

The wolf loomed over her, ready to deal the final blow. Azula was ok with its decision to end her life. It’s what she’d wanted. Right? She would finally be able to become nothing, no longer burdened with the weight of her immense failures. She closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

She lay there for minutes, waiting for the spirit to finally find its revenge, but nothing came. She was still alive. Barely. But alive nonetheless. She was too weak to get up and see why the spirit has seemingly spared her.

She managed to pry her eyes open after what seemed like an effort worth a thousand armies. Her vision was blurred, but she was able to make out the forest green of a stranger’s outfit and the ridiculous, hastily applied white and red makeup that covered their face.

Though the blood still roared in her ears, she was able to hear the stranger call her name in a concerned, yet frightened tone. She knew that tone all too well.

“Ty Lee?”


	2. The Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not super proud of this chapter but i want to get to the tyzula angst so :// itll get better i promise

**_A few days earlier_ **

Ty Lee sat in the company of turtle ducks, swimming peacefully in the palace garden pond. The green grass brushed her ankles as a cool breeze swept the Fire Nation’s capital city. 

The quaking of the turtle ducks reminded her of more innocent days, spent cartwheeling with Azula, and gossipping with Mai. She missed those days, as crazy as it was. The three of them had good times together, regardless of what would come to be. Sure, she was a bit scared of Azula, even back then, but having the princess as her best friend made her stand out from her sisters. It made her feel special. 

Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps approaching the palace gardens. She looked up to see a servant standing at the entrance to the gardens. 

“Ty Lee,” the servant called. “Fire Lord Zuko requests your presence.” The servant politely bowed and walked away back into the palace.

Ty Lee’s reminiscing would have to wait for some other time. Though he was her friend, it wasn’t often he “requested her presence”. Usually, he would just ask her to see him himself. This must be serious. The throne room wasn’t far from the palace gardens, so it was an easy stroll. 

As she made her way to see Zuko, her heart beat faster than it had in a long time, threatening to burst out of her chest. She could feel the sweat forming in her palms and the pang of anxiousness gnawing at her stomach. _Calm down Ty Lee, you’ve done nothing wrong. Zuko isn’t Azula, he would never hurt you, no matter what you did,_ she thought to herself. 

Once she reached the intimidating throne room door, she shakily knocked and was greeted to an empty throne room beside the Fire Lord himself. 

“Ty Lee! You’re here!” He got up quickly from his oversized throne and met Ty Lee where she stood. “Sorry for such formal proceedings, I’ve come to learn that if I need you for official duties I can’t just talk to you like I normally would.”

“Official duties?” Ty Lee said nervously. She glanced around the room desperately as not to make eye contact. 

“Well, yes, technically. I don’t need you to overthrow the Earth Kingdom again, but I do need you for something important. Something only you can do.” He grabbed her shoulders gently and looked into her eyes with concern. She could tell, whatever this mission was, it was important to him. 

“What kind of mission would you need me for? I’m part of the Kyoshi Warriors now, you know that. I have a responsibility to my duties, and leading missions isn’t one of them,” Ty Lee said with reluctance.

Zuko looked at the floor. It took him a few seconds to muster up the courage to say what he wanted to. “I need you to find Azula and bring her home. When we went to go find my mother, Azula went with us. But once we found her, Azula kind of tried to light Ursa’s house on fire. I got Azula and my mother out ok, but Azula ran off. I haven’t seen her since and I’m worried sick.”

Ty Lee couldn’t believe what she was hearing. When Zuko mentioned she was the only one good for the job, in the back of her mind, she knew it probably had to do with Azula. But hearing her suspicions confirmed was too much to handle. 

“Zuko, I’m flattered you think I’m the only person for the job, but I don’t know if I can. Honestly, I’m still scared of Azula, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over that.” Ty Lee felt tears well up in her eyes as she sat down on the cold, hard tile of the throne room and put her head in her hands. He took her hands, looking into her eyes reassuringly.

“When I thought of you for the job, I knew you would be scared of her. To be honest, I am too. I would go find Azula myself if I wasn’t tied down to my Fire Lord duties. But I know how powerful and brave you are. I know if she gets violent, you could take her down easily. You’ve done it before. I believe that you can do it again.” He stared at her with hope and encouragement. 

She knew he was right. That she could easily take her down if she had to. But Ty Lee knew that once the moment came, she wouldn’t be able to. Just as she was about to speak up, Zuko decided to offer extra words of encouragement. 

“I know it would be hard, but I wasn’t kidding when I said you were the only one who could do this job. Mai, as much as I love her, isn’t powerful enough to take Azula down and sending Suki or the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors would only scare her away. I don’t want to have to capture her and make her fear me, I want her to come home on her own terms,” he paused, mulling over what he was about to say. “I know how she used to look at you, how she used to be around you. I know she’s not exactly an emotional person, but she loved you, Ty Lee, in her own strange way. And I truly do think she still does, somewhere in her heart.” 

Ty Lee stood up and took a step back, staring at him with wide eyes. She didn’t want to admit it, but it was true. Azula _had_ loved her. She knew that when Azula had said she was jealous of her at the Ember Island party, she wasn’t jealous that Ty Lee was getting more attention from boys. She was jealous of _them_. 

“You’re not wrong, Zuko, but I still don’t know if I’ll be able to convince her to come home. You know how she can be,” she said with concern. Zuko chuckled a bit. 

“I do know how she can be, don’t worry. I’ve thought it over. I know she wants to come home but doesn’t want to have to spend the rest of her life locked up. I plan to keep her in the palace, guarded. But still in the palace. If you can convince her she can live in dignity here, maybe she’ll be willing to come back. It’s a stretch, but it’s the only thing I can think of,” Zuko said, rubbing his forehead. 

Zuko looked exhausted. His eye bags were becoming more and more prominent, and you could tell he spent most of his days stressed. She felt for him, and she knew that if she was able to bring Azula back, maybe he wouldn’t look as disheveled. For a little, at least. _Azula would probably make it worse,_ she thought. 

“I’ll think about it Zuko,” she said firmly. “I’ll let you know by tomorrow. It was nice seeing you.” Ty Lee bowed politely and stepped out of the throne room. She heard Zuko say something, but she had already left by the time he’d said it. 

\-----

Ty Lee headed directly home, straight to bed. She knew trying to sleep would be impossible, but if she was going to think, she might as well be comfortable. 

She knew no matter what she chose to do, it would disappoint _someone._ Going on the mission and lying to the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors about what she was doing certainly wouldn’t make her popular. But if she didn’t, she knew Zuko would be heartbroken. She was well aware of how badly he wanted to fix their relationship, and she knew she was the only hope of him doing so. 

And as scared as she was of Azula, Ty Lee knew, somewhere inside of her, lived a decent person. She had seen it at Ember Island when Azula apologized to her for hurting her feelings. She’d seen it as kids when Azula tried her best to comfort Ty Lee when she scraped her knee doing somersaults. She wasn’t very good at it. _But she tried,_ Ty Lee thought bittersweetly. 

Ty Lee laid sleeplessly in bed, just as she had predicted, until she could see the blindingly bright Fire Nation sun shine through her windows. She’d weighed her options all night and still needed a few more hours to think about it. 

Once her room was fully illuminated, she slowly got up and made herself some jasmine tea. Iroh had taught her how to make it. _I could really use some of his wisdom right now._

\-----------

After spending all night and morning thinking it over, Ty Lee had finally reached her decision. She got out of the clothes she’d been wearing since yesterday and changed into something a bit formal. Though Zuko was her friend, she felt it appropriate to deliver news like this in something a bit fancier than her normal pink outfit. 

The walk to the palace wasn’t bad from her house, only being about 5 to 10 minutes. She strolled the streets of the Fire Nation’s capital slowly, avoiding the finality of the news she was about to deliver. Once she had made her decision known, there was no going back. 

In what seemed like no time at all, she reached the palace gates. Two large guards were standing by the entrance, but they were no obstacle. They knew and respected her as a Kyoshi Warrior, protector of the Fire Lord. All she had to do was ask them to open the gates, and she was in. 

Once she entered the palace, she headed straight for the throne room, wasting no time. Though the palace was huge, Azula had shown her secret routes to places throughout the palace, making her trip much quicker. 

She eventually reached the ornate doors of the throne room and knocked. Knowing exactly who it was, Zuko rushed over to the door and welcomed Ty Lee. 

“Ty Lee! It’s great to see you again so soon. I was worried you’d spend all day making your decision,” Zuko said smiling. 

“It’s good to see you again too,” she said smiling back. Her face suddenly hardened a bit as she prepared to tell Zuko the news. After a few seconds of deliberation, she determined it was time. “Zuko, we both know what I came here for, so I’m just going to tell you right now before I regret my decision.”

He looked at her hopefully, his golden eyes staring down at her. She took a deep breath and stared back into his eyes. 

“I’ll help you find Azula.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u sm for reading! azula and ty lee will finally meet back up in the next chapter, so stay tuned for that this weekend!


	3. The Meeting

“You will? Oh Ty Lee that’s great news, you won’t regret your decision, I promise.” He couldn’t help but bring her into a tight embrace, despite his large and heavy Fire Lord garments.

He finally had a chance of truly getting his sister back in years. Not just her physical presence, but her mental presence too. Since they were kids, she was always a bit off the rails and certainly had a hand in his torment. But she had really gone off the deep end in the last few years, and Ty Lee was one of his only real chances of restoring her to the person he knew she could be. Without the influence of Ozai, and the rest of the Fire Nation under his rule. 

“You didn’t let me finish,” she replied after he released her from his tight embrace. “I’ll help you find Azula if I can get some sort of backup. They don’t need to be by my side, but I don’t want to have to fight the most powerful firebender in the world alone.” 

Zuko glanced purposefully at the intricate tile of the throne room to think over what Ty Lee was saying. He could certainly fulfill her request. He was the Fire Lord, after all. And he knew she would likely request backup, even before he had asked her on the mission. He just didn’t want to scare Azula away. She went to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls which trained rigorously in evasive maneuvers, and if she didn’t want to be found; she wouldn’t. Even by Ty Lee, who had gone as well and knew Azula better than perhaps anyone in the world. Regardless, he knew he didn’t have much of a choice. He didn’t want Ty Lee to feel unsafe, and she was ultimately what mattered most. 

Once he had made up his mind, he lifted his head and gazed into Ty Lee’s deep gray eyes. She was staring back at him with determination. The Kyoshi Warrior had obviously thought all night about this. 

“Ok, I can make that happen. You probably won’t know who’ll be going with you until you leave, but I’ll make sure they’re the best the Fire Nation has to offer,” Zuko exclaimed. Her eyes lit up at his words and he could tell that this particular aspect of the mission had been bothering her. While it wasn’t ideal for the Fire Lord, if it was only a minor setback in bringing his sister back, he didn’t care. 

“Thank you Zuko, I appreciate it,” Ty Lee said, walking further into the grand throne room. She stopped near his throne and turned around, exclaiming, “shouldn’t we plan now? I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to do.”

“Oh ya! Sorry,” Zuko suddenly dug in his robes and eventually found a map of the Fire Nation.”I’ve been thinking you’d probably leave sometime tomorrow morning for Hira’a, my mother’s hometown, and where Azula ran away,” the Fire Lord pointed to a small village near the Southern Islands of the Fire Nation. He continued, “she ran somewhere into this forest, called the Forgetful Valley, so I would start there if you don’t find her in the village itself. If you can’t find her in the forest either, come back here and we can talk about what we want to do from there.”

Ty Lee took a second to look over the map and process the plan. After a few seconds of silence, she said, “Ok, I can do that. If I’m able to take an eel hound, I can probably get there within the day. Where am I gonna stay once I get to the village?” 

“If you’re ok with it, you can stay at my mother’s house. No one will be there but I’m sure that would be better. Kiyi can be a bit crazy sometimes,” Zuko said playfully. Ty Lee nodded and was about to say something before being interrupted by Zuko. “One more thing! A spirit named the Mother of Faces rules over the forest. She’s friendly, but if Azula isn’t in the village I would approach her with caution. I don’t have to tell you this but Azula isn’t exactly friendly and could have upset her.” Ty Lee giggled a bit and nodded again in agreement. 

“Thanks for letting me know, I’ll be sure to watch out. Is there anything else I need to know? I want to be able to get some rest before I leave,” she said, walking closer to the ornate golden door of the throne room. 

“Ya, there is actually one more thing. If you ever feel unsafe or like you don’t want to continue, you don’t have to. You can go back at any time, and I won’t be mad at you or force you to go back. You’re the most important person to this mission, Ty Lee. Be safe, ok?” He looked back at her from the map and gave her a reassuring smile. She bowed respectfully and exited the grand throne room. 

\---------------

After another sleepless night, Ty Lee rose from her bed in the center of the Fire Nation to head to the Royal Stables where her eel hound would be waiting. 

Before she left, the acrobat made herself some oolong tea and sat on her porch to relax as much as she could. She knew it would be a long time before she could get such a peaceful moment alone. 

Despite being in a volcano, the breeze that danced through the Capital was light and cool. It reminded her of childhood in a bittersweet way. It reminded her of the carefree days spent in the palace gardens playing games and teasing each other. But it also reminded her of what lay ahead of her. 

Ty Lee shook the thought away and set her cup of tea down on the softwood of her porch. She could no longer avoid the mission. She promised Zuko, and herself, she would find Azula. 

The Kyoshi Warrior took a final step off of her porch and didn’t look back. 

\----------

After about a day’s journey, Ty Lee arrived at Hira’a before midnight after an uneventful journey. Her backup ended up being some of the highest-ranking guards at the Fire Nation palace, which she was extremely thankful for. Though they trailed behind, knowing they were there made here feel a lot better about the mission. 

After they arrived in Hira’a, the guards ended up staying in a nearby inn while she stayed in Ursa’s home just like Zuko had hoped. It was nothing special, especially for a Fire Lady, but it certainly wasn’t a dump. It was exactly what Ty Lee needed. 

She set down what little she had brought, a suitcase full of her Kyoshi Warrior stuff and another suitcase with her regular clothes. She opted to bring her Kyoshi Warrior outfit because she felt that she could sneak around a bit more if Azula couldn’t recognize her from afar. Azula wasn’t exactly a fan of the Kyoshi Warriors either, but at least they weren’t traitors. 

After getting settled in, Ty Lee found Ursa’s room and flopped helplessly on the bed. Her journey had finally pushed her over the edge into a deep sleep. Not even the prospect of confronting her biggest fear tomorrow could keep her up like it had the past few nights. Her body simply wouldn’t allow it. It wasn’t long before she was greeted with the pitch-black darkness of sleep. 

\-------

Ty Lee awoke early in the morning to a knock on the door from one of the guards. It was a rude awakening, but she was the one who requested it, so she couldn’t be too mad. She wanted to get up early so she could face the inevitable as soon as possible. There was no point in avoiding it. 

The acrobat rolled out of bed and made her way over to a mirror to get into the traditional Kyoshi Warrior makeup and uniform. It was nice to put it on again, it had felt like forever since her reflection stared back at her in that familiar red and white face paint. 

After she was finished getting dressed, Ty Lee ventured out into the soft light of the Hira’a sunset. Nobody could deny how beautiful Ursa’s hometown truly was. She had no time to dwell on that, however. She needed to focus.

The Kyoshi Warrior first ventured around the village, asking villagers if they had any ideas of the whereabouts of the disgraced princess. Almost all of the villagers knew of her, but no one knew of her whereabouts. Oh well, she knew this mission wouldn’t be easy. 

She decided to head to the forest, it was likely Azula was there anyways. She wasn’t exactly the social type. 

The forest was only a few blocks away from where she was staying, so it didn’t take very long to get to the edge of town. Once she reached it, she saw a large blue wolf spirit chasing a small figure at the base of the woods.  _ Is that Azula?  _ No, it couldn’t be. Azula would never run from a fight like that. 

Either way, someone was in trouble and they needed help. She must have been thinking for a long time because she hardly had anywhere to run by the time she was done. The spirit and the person were close. So close, she could make out the person’s face. 

Her stomach dropped.  _ No, it can’t be. I couldn’t have found her that easily, could I? She has to be tricking me. _ Ty Lee stood frozen in her spot. Azula hadn’t spotted her yet. Maybe she should run away? Zuko told her she could, and it’s not like Azula was weak.  _ No, Ty Lee. You need to stay here and help her. Even if you’re scared. You knew this would have to happen eventually. No one ever said this was going to be easy.  _

Before she had time to get herself even more worked up, Azula and the spirit were so close she had no choice but stop and fight. But then, the wolf stopped, and Azula collapsed on the ground. She wasn’t even trying to fight back.  _ What happened to her? I know she was in the asylum, but the Azula I know would never give up on a fight.  _

She couldn’t Chi-Block spirit wolves, but because of its size, she could easily dodge its attacks until it tired and take it down then. Azula wasn’t attacking her so she couldn’t call the guards unless she was sorely losing. In fact, Azula wasn’t attacking at all.  _ Had she truly given up?  _ She was on her own either way. 

Ty Lee’s train of thought was interrupted abruptly, as the wolf started to topple Azula, eventually putting her in a position where she was unable to move. She suddenly realized why it had stopped.  _ It’s going to kill Azula! _

Ty Lee leaped into action without thinking, finding a weak spot near the wolf’s hind legs, leaping onto its back. It moved from its position above Azula and turned to face Ty Lee. Despite this, Azula still laid there, almost lifeless.  _ Is she hurt?  _ She shook the thought from her hear. That didn’t matter right now. She had to focus on not getting eaten by an angry spirit.

After a few seconds of finding her balance and getting her bearings, she was able to find weak points throughout the deep blue wolf’s body. She wasn’t exactly chi-blocking, but it was close enough. She continued this routine until the wolf managed to shake her off and run back into the forest, deciding this wasn’t a worthy fight. 

She stared into the deep woods for a few moments to make sure it was truly gone, then rushed over to Azula. She wasn’t as afraid anymore, as Azula obviously wasn’t in a fighting mood. Within a few seconds, Ty Lee was over Azula’s body, alive, though barely. 

She had a large gash on her right side that blood was flowing out of onto the vibrant green grass. She would die soon if she didn’t see some sort of healer soon. Due to this rapid blood loss, the disgraced princess was slipping in and out of consciousness. 

Despite this, she managed to weakly say, “Ty Lee?” 

“Yes, Azula it’s Ty Lee. You need to find a healer, now,” Ty Lee said, picking her up carefully. She hoped she didn’t sound too scared. Even in this extremely weak state, she knew Azula could be dangerous. Despite her fears, Ty Lee walked slowly to the village, trying to find the nearest villager. Azula was out cold by this point, with her blood beginning to stain her Kyoshi Warrior uniform. 

After a few minutes of searching, she eventually found a middle-aged woman with deep black hair, almost like Azula’s. The woman looked in horror at the girl in Ty Lee’s arms, as she had just terrorized the village only a week or so earlier. 

She was just about to dash away when Ty Lee pleaded with her, “where does your village healer live? I know she hasn’t been the kindest to your village in the past, but I’m under orders from the Fire Lord to bring her back to him alive.” 

The woman hesitated for a moment put pointed the Kyoshi Warrior to a small hut in the center square of Hira’a. She thanked the woman and rushed over to the hut as fast as she could. Even though the girl in her arms was the person she feared the most, she couldn’t bear to lose her. Seeing her in this state made her realize that, despite her manipulation and cruelty, losing Azula would mean losing a part of herself. And she couldn’t have that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took so long! i had to move to a different state pretty suddenly so I didn't really have time to write much. im all settled in now though so expect chapter 4 sometime soon.


End file.
